Miss Northern Ireland 2022: Meet the 24 finalists in the running for the crown

By Sophie McLaughlin  07:12, 26 APR 2022

They will follow in the footsteps of last year's winner Anna Leitch

Anna said being crowned the 2021 was so surreal (Image: Presseye/Stephen Hamilton)

The 24 finalists for this year's Miss Northern Ireland Contest have now been selected and are all ready to compete to win the coveted Miss NI 2022 title.

The girls will prepare themselves to shine at the Miss Northern Ireland Gala Final on May 23.

Last year saw primary school teacher Anna Leitch take the top spot before going on to place in the Top 6 at Miss World and make history as the first Miss NI to be crowned Miss Europe.

This exciting group of finalists will battle it out to follow in her footsteps to represent Northern Ireland at the 71st Miss World pageant.

These gorgeous girls will take to the stage at the Europa Hotel on May 23 to showcase their beauty, personality and heart so here are the 24 finalists making up the 2022 contest.

Hannah Cairns

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Hannah is a 25-year-old student from Hillsborough. She is currently studying a PGCE in Primary Education and is also a singing teacher.

Rebekah Martin

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
23-year-old Rebekah is also ready to fight for the crown this year. From Belfast, she is a Civil Servant who also is a dance teacher and has her own dance club.

Daria Gapska

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
This year's Miss Nu Delhi is 20-year-old Daria. Qualifying at the first live heat of the year, she is a Children's Nursing student from Belfast.

Poppy Smith
(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Portadown contestant Poppy Smith is a student at Queen's University in Belfast. The 21-year-old is completing a degree in Biomedical Science.

Lucy Johnston

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Calling the competition something she's "always wanted to do", 19-year-old Lucy is ready to show her stuff at Miss NI 2022. The Co Armagh girl is a style director at Toasted Wood.

Zoe Edwards

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
25-year-old Zoe is a qualified nurse and is a strong mental health advocate. She will be representing her hometown of Lisburn in this year's contest.

Beth Preston
(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Currently a student at Ulster University in Coleraine, Beth will also shine on stage at the Europa this year. She is 20-years-old and comes from Newtownhamilton in Co Armagh. Beth is studying Biomedical Science with Pathology at university.

Stacey Burns

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Also known as ‘BelfastMediaGirl’, 23-year-old Stacey works in Northern Ireland’s budding film and TV industry. The media blogger & freelancer from Lisburn is a familiar face to the competition, having competed against Anna last year for the crown.

Sarah-Louise Watson

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Representing Dromore in the famous beauty competition, Sarah-Louise, 22, will take to the stage in this year's gala final. She is a PhD Medicine researcher at Queen's University Belfast.

Róna Mallon

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
23-year-old contestant Róna Mallon hails from Dungannon, Co Tyrone. She works as a Special Educational Needs teacher and is delighted to be part of the "exciting journey" of Miss NI 2022.

Rebekah Rutherford

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Rebekah from Holywood, Co Down, is studying Sports Coaching and Performance at Ulster University. During the pandemic, the 24-year-old started her own brand specialising in sailing and outdoor equipment with a focus on female participation in sport.

Gráinne Farrell

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Dancing from the age of seven, 21-year-old Gráinne has competed all over the world in Salsa, Latin and Hip-Hop dancing. The Crumlin woman is also a History and Politics student at Queen's University.

Liza Kachura

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Taking on the title of Miss Spice Lisburn in this year's competition, Liza is a 19-year-old Ukrainian born multi-lingual fashionista. From Ballynahinch in Co Down, she also works as an accountant.

Ellen Knox

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
One of the youngest in this year's contest, 19-year-old Ellen is a student at Queen's University from Portrush. Miss Lisburn 2022 is a RNLI lifeguard in the summer and is also an assistant coach at her dance school.

Rainer Nelson

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Domiciliary Community Care Worker Rainer is also excited to be part of this unique journey. The 20-year-old hails from Hillsborough in Co Down. She also lived in Spain for most of her childhood.

Aoife McGurgan

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Also showing off what Armagh has to offer, technology consultant Aoife, 24, is ready to take to the stage. She works for Microsoft and is a major animal lover.

Zoe Stewart

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
22-year-old Zoe is from Strabane, Co Tyrone. Zoe is a baker and cake decorator who can whip up some incredible and tasty designs.

Katie McErlean

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Professional actor Katie from Belfast makes another lovely addition to the 2022 line-up. She has called entering into the world of Miss Northern Ireland "the most exciting thing ever".

Lisa-Marie Saygivar

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Lisa-Marie Saygivar is a 25-year-old skincare specialist and business owner from Rostrevor. She is the founder of Ari Nadúr, a luxury organic skincare brand.

Sarah Maguire

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
26-year-old Sarah is ready to shine in this year's competition. The striking redhead is a Technical Sales Manager from Armagh. Like Stacey, she knows her way around the stage at the Europa, having entered the 2021 contest.

Anna Robinson

(Image: Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)
Anna is another young contestant at only 18-years-old, but she isn’t letting that stop her from showing her stuff. Currently studying for her A-Levels at Grosvenor Grammar, she works part-time at Hillmount Garden Centre.

Sasha Boyle

(Image: @sashaboyle22/ Instagram)
"Delighted" to be taking on the title of Miss Spice at the 2022 contest, Sasha Boyle is a Sales and Marketing Specialist Recruitment Consultant from Belfast.

Lois Banks

(Image: @loisbanks/ Instagram)
22-year-old Lois is used to the world of fashion and beauty as she works as a makeup artist and is based in Waringstown Co Down. She is our 2022 Miss Antrim representative.

Claudia Todd

(L-R) Sasha Boyle, Miss NI 2021 Anna Leitch, Lois Banks and Claudia Todd (Image: Anna Leitch/ Instagram)
Last but certainly not least is Claudia Todd. The blonde beauty was one of the final girls to qualify for Miss Northern Ireland 2022 at their live heat in Spice Templepatrick.

*Finalists have been listed at random and do not reflect any sort of order or preference

https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/whats-on/be/miss-northern-ireland-2022-meet-23777753